Travis Kelce stepped away from the NFL on Saturday, trading the football field for a night of playoff baseball.
The 37-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end attended his hometown Cleveland Guardians’ win-or-go-home Game 5 against the Chicago White Sox, with a place in the American League Championship Series at stake.
Kelce, who purchased a stake in the MLB franchise earlier this year, was seen wearing a red Guardians jersey and navy cap while standing in the entrance to a VIP suite at Progressive Field.
During the early innings, the NFL star was also spotted greeting fans and shaking hands in the stands. His famous wife, however, did not appear to be with him.
Kelce and Taylor Swift, who married in a lavish ceremony at Madison Square Garden in July, had enjoyed a romantic date night in New York City on Friday.
It appeared the three-time Super Bowl champion then traveled to Ohio to watch the Guardians’ playoff showdown, while the pop superstar remained in New York on Saturday.
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce attended the Cleveland Guardians’ Game 5 playoff clash
Taylor Swift was not seen alongside her husband at the baseball game
Kelce’s appearance at the postseason game came during the Kansas City Chiefs’ bye week in the 2026 NFL season.
The Chiefs, along with most of the NFL, will not play on Sunday. Andy Reid’s team is scheduled to return on October 18 against AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kansas City has made a perfect start to the campaign, winning each of its first four games as the team aims to reach the Super Bowl once again.
Kelce, who turned 37 in New York City on Monday, has used the bye week to spend time with his new wife.
The couple were most recently believed to have had dinner at Old Rose inside The Jane Hotel on Friday night, although Yelp currently lists the restaurant as permanently closed.
Celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi also suggested that the pair may have visited the members-only San Vicente club.
Even during his break from football, though, Kelce appears to be keeping close to the world of professional sports.
The Chiefs tight end joined the ownership group of the Guardians, the team he supported as a child, in May.
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Kelce joined the ownership group of his boyhood team, the Cleveland Guardians, in May
Swift and Kelce were seen enjoying a night out in New York City earlier this week for the NFL star’s 37th birthday
ESPN reported at the time that Kelce had bought a minority stake in the franchise he grew up watching.
The Guardians are valued at approximately $1.7 billion, an increase of $700 million since lead minority owner David Blitzer acquired a stake in the club in 2022.
He was reportedly welcomed into the Guardians ownership group by Blitzer, who also owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. He can become the majority owner of the Guardians after the 2027 season.
‘I have so much love for this city,’ Kelce told ESPN. ‘I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic.
‘Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate – they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. That mentality of Cleveland against the world runs deep.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to have a front-row seat to good ownership in my career, and I know the best teams prioritize culture.
‘Everyone is there to play their role, and right now, I’m here to observe and learn and really to support the team and the city when and where I can.’
Kelce joined a growing list of elite sports stars to invest their money into MLB teams.
Kelce’s appearance at the playoff showdown comes amid the Kansas City Chiefs’ bye week
LeBron James owns a stake in the Boston Red Sox, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, while Kelce’s best friend and Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes became a minority owner with the Kansas City Royals in 2020.
Kelce is a self-proclaimed Guardians ‘diehard’ and watched them during the team’s impressive run during the 1990s.
Then known as the Cleveland Indians, a young Kelce watched on with father Ed as they won five American League Central division titles in a row.
Before he committed to pursuing a career in the NFL and was recruited by the University of Cincinnati, Kelce was a standout baseball talent in the Cleveland area. As a senior in 2008, he hit.588 with six home runs.
